Technical Leadership Development Program

Transcription

1 Technical Leadership Development Program Final Technical Report SERC-2010-TR-013 Principal Investigator: Dr. Valentin Gavito Stevens Institute of Technology Team Members Dr. Dinesh Verma, Director, SERC Dr. Peter Dominick, Industry Assistant Professor, Stevens Institute of Technology Dr. Michael Pennotti, Industry Professor, Stevens Institute of Technology Dr. Ralph Giffin, Industry Professor, Stevens Institute of Technology Dr. Tony Barrese, Distinguished Service Professor, Stevens Institute of Technology Nicole Hutchison, Staff Researcher, SERC 1

2 Report Documentation Page Form Approved OMB No Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE 13 DEC REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED to TITLE AND SUBTITLE Technical Leadership Development Program 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Stevens Institute of Technology,Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC),1 Castle Point on Hudson,Hoboken,NJ, PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR S ACRONYM(S) 12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release; distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES SERC is sponsored by the Department of Defense. 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR S REPORT NUMBER(S) 14. ABSTRACT In 2009, the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) contracted with the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) to develop an extension of the DAU Systems, Programming, Research, Development, and Engineering (SPRDE) program that specifically focuses on technical leadership. This Technical Leadership Program (TLP) specifically will provide leadership insights into systems engineering (SE) activities and issues at the system, business, and enterprise levels. Curriculum development began with the identification of a set of core systems engineering (SE) technical leadership competencies. This competency model was reviewed and refined by two rounds of subject matter expert (SME) review, with different experts from government, industry, and academia participating in each review. This competency list provided a baseline for program architecture development. The competencies were compared to the current DAU SPRDE courseware to determine overlaps and gaps. Using this as a baseline, the TLP development team allocated competencies to each of the lenses?systems, business and team (B&T), enterprise and strategy (E&S)?with particular emphasis on competencies not currently covered by SPRDE. Using this architecture, lens learning objectives, outcomes, and focus areas were identified. The focus areas were populated with a draft list of topics. Courseware from the SERC collaborators was compared to the topical outline for each lens to identify areas where materials exist which can be tailored to support the DAU TLP model and gaps where courseware needs to be developed. Using this approach, the TLP development team will create and deliver a pilot for the systems and B&T lenses in The E&S lens pilot will be delivered in SUBJECT TERMS

3 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT a. REPORT unclassified b. ABSTRACT unclassified c. THIS PAGE unclassified Same as Report (SAR) 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 59 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18

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5 ABSTRACT In 2009, the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) contracted with the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) to develop an extension of the DAU Systems, Programming, Research, Development, and Engineering (SPRDE) program that specifically focuses on technical leadership. This Technical Leadership Program (TLP) specifically will provide leadership insights into systems engineering (SE) activities and issues at the system, business, and enterprise levels. Curriculum development began with the identification of a set of core systems engineering (SE) technical leadership competencies. This competency model was reviewed and refined by two rounds of subject matter expert (SME) review, with different experts from government, industry, and academia participating in each review. This competency list provided a baseline for program architecture development. The competencies were compared to the current DAU SPRDE courseware to determine overlaps and gaps. Using this as a baseline, the TLP development team allocated competencies to each of the lenses systems, business and team (B&T), enterprise and strategy (E&S) with particular emphasis on competencies not currently covered by SPRDE. Using this architecture, lens learning objectives, outcomes, and focus areas were identified. The focus areas were populated with a draft list of topics. Courseware from the SERC collaborators was compared to the topical outline for each lens to identify areas where materials exist which can be tailored to support the DAU TLP model and gaps where courseware needs to be developed. Using this approach, the TLP development team will create and deliver a pilot for the systems and B&T lenses in The E&S lens pilot will be delivered in

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7 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract... 3 Table of Contents... 5 Figures and Tables Executive Summary Introduction Background Definitions Competency Model Development Initial Competency Development Research and Recommendation on Closing Gaps Initial Curriculum Development Activities Architecture Delivery Modes Recommended Curriculum Program Overview Course Description Future Work Development Plan Schedule Appendices Appendix A. Initial Competency List Appendix B. Final Competency Model Appendix C. Alignment of Competencies with DAU SPRDE Outcomes Appendix D. Competency Allocation to the Lenses D. 1 Systems Lens Competencies D.2 Business and Team (B&T) Lens Competencies D.3 Enterprise and Strategy (E&T) Competencies Appendix E: References

8 FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 1. TLP Topical Architecture Figure 2. Overview of the Delivery Modes for TLP Figure 3. Layout for TLP Delivery Modes Figure 4. Overview of the Systems Lens Figure 5. Mapping of current courseware to the systems lens focus areas Figure 6. Alignment of the focus areas with the competency map for the systems lens. 23 Figure 7. Structure of Student Interactions for In-Class Portion of the Systems Lens Figure 8. Overview of the Business & Team (B&T) Lens Figure 9. Mapping of current courseware to the B&T lens focus areas Figure 10. Alignment of the focus areas with the competency map for the B&T lens Figure 11. Overview of the Enterprise and Strategy (E&S) Lens Figure 12. Mapping of current courseware to the E&S lens focus areas Figure 13. Alignment of the focus areas with the competency map for the B&T lens Figure 14. Schedule for development, finalization, and delivery of TLP content

9 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 2009, the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) contracted with the Systems engineering Research Center (SERC) to develop a curriculum for technical leadership. The purpose of this work was to thoroughly research the state-of-the-art and best practices associated with technical leadership education and to incorporate these best practices, along with the experience of the SERC collaborators, into a technical leadership program (TLP) which would specifically focus on technical leadership in systems engineering (SE). This report presents the research, findings, and development that have occurred during the base year under contract with DAU. The DoD has tremendous challenges in sustaining and growing its science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforces in support of acquisition excellence. In 2006 the DoD released its Civilian Human Capital Strategic Plan 1 with the goal of developing, a civilian workforce that possesses the leadership, competencies, and commitment necessary for successful mission accomplishment. Thus, under this backdrop, research is being conducted to develop the competencies necessary for the technical leadership workforce. SE competency topics and elements were collected from a wide variety of sources, including NASA 2, Nokia, BAE Systems, the DoD, and the Australian government to develop our initial competency model. These models were discussed in deliverable A0009. From these competency models, possible competencies for SPRDE Level IV were identified 3. In summer 2010, the TLP development team discussed a possible architecture with DAU representatives. This architecture is based on the principles that there are three lenses that can be used to view TLP content, as shown in Figure 1. The lenses open an increasing aperture on a specific area, in this instance systems engineering technical leadership. Each lens covers content related to systems engineering, but at a different level. 1 This report can be accessed at 2 Compiled by Wiley Larson and titled NASA s Systems Engineering Competencies as part of the Academy of Program/Project and Engineering Leadership for NASA, We will use the term Level IV throughout this report as defined in Table 1.8. We believe that SYS 302 should be focused in developing Level III proficiencies. Whereas, SYS 351 should be mainly focused on developing professionals who oversee SE activities for a program with several systems and/or establishes SE policies at top organizational level. 7

10 The Technical Leadership Program (TLP) is a multi-disciplinary, experiential post graduate and professional development curricula that prepares senior design engineers, system engineers, and technologists for Chief Engineer, Technical Director, and Enterprise Technical Executive positions through an interactive course of independent study, simulation, and case study through the three focused lenses: Systems, Business and Team, and Enterprise and Strategy. Using the architecture, lens learning objectives, outcomes, and focus areas were identified. The focus areas were populated with a draft list of topics. Current courseware from the SERC collaborators was compared to the topical outline for each lens to identify areas where materials exist which can be tailored to support the DAU TLP model. The targeted learner group is high potential senior engineering designers and technologists with demonstrated superior domain engineering or technology expertise that have been identified and recommended as advanced technical leadership candidates in their organization or fields of expertise. 8

11 2 INTRODUCTION In 2009, the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) contracted with the Systems engineering Research Center (SERC) to develop a curriculum for technical leadership. The purpose of this work was to thoroughly research the state-of-the-art and best practices associated with technical leadership education and to incorporate these best practices, along with the experience of the SERC collaborators, into a technical leadership program (TLP) which would specifically focus on technical leadership in systems engineering (SE). This report presents the research, findings, and development that have occurred during the base year under contract with DAU. 2.1 BACKGROUND The Department of Defense (DoD), along with most government agencies, is under tremendous pressure to increase the success rate of its acquisitions programs by 4 : Better equipping/supporting/enabling the workforce to perform successfully and meet all demands, Mitigate loss of skilled/experienced workforce, Successfully compete for, hire and retain talent, Transfer knowledge / expertise to new generation, Integrate acquisition workforce planning with DoD Total Force Human Capital Planning, and Strategically plan and resource human capital initiatives. The DoD has tremendous challenges in sustaining and growing its science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforces in support of acquisition excellence. In 2006 the DoD released its Civilian Human Capital Strategic Plan 5 with the goal of developing, a civilian workforce that possesses the leadership, competencies, and commitment necessary for successful mission accomplishment. Thus, under this backdrop, research is being conducted to develop the competencies necessary for the technical leadership workforce. Developing a concise and universally-accepted definition of leadership for people involved in technical engineering management is difficult. For example, Rost (1991) 4 Taken from a briefing by Gordon Kranz, DUSD(A&T)/SSE Director, Technical Management Functional Leader, Human Capital Strategy and Planning for SPRDE-SE & PSE, DT&E, and PQM, August 28, This report can be accessed at 9

12 analyzed 221 definitions of leadership in an effort to develop a meaningful definition. Most definitions share several common features leadership is an interpersonal influence process that is goal-directed and purposeful. Leadership is defined as the process of influencing an organized group toward accomplishing its goals (Farr, et al, 1997). For this project, technical leadership is defined as motivating and guiding a group of technical professionals to define and deliver constructive change producing new technical performance or systems. To develop a senior technical leader requires many years of experience leading to the completion of many complex projects encompassing multiple jobs involving many programs. Within the DoD, long program life cycles, competition for scarce human capital, acquisition reform, and the scale of projects within the defense community has led to a dearth of senior technical leaders with sound SE 6 and technical project leadership skills. As a result, it has become more important than ever to develop more capable senior technical leaders with not only sound engineering skills but also the ability to think and act holistically. Technical leaders must be systems thinkers, understand systems-of-systems (SoS) and enterprise issues in addition to traditional tenets of leadership and management. Research is needed to synthesize and validate curriculum content and structure for a program to develop future DoD senior technical leaders. In support of educating the DoD acquisition workforce, the DAU provides practitioner training, career management, and services to support the majority of the acquisition, technology, and logistics (AT&L) community. Currently the Systems Planning, Research Development, and Engineering (SPRDE) career field is the largest 7. Within the SPRDE career field, the DAU currently offers Level I, II, and III certifications in Program Systems Engineering (PSE), Science and Technology Management (S&TM), and Systems Engineering (SE) career paths. For this effort, the focus is on the SPRDE-PSE and SPRDE-SE career fields specifically. This research topic will support and extend the SPRDE-PSE and SPRDE-SE certificates offered by the DAU at Level III. This research is needed to develop, synthesize and validate curriculum content, course materials, and structure for a program to develop future DoD senior and executive SE and technical leaders. 6 Numerous definitions of SE exist. The DoD has adopted the following formal definition, derived from EIA/IS 632, Processes for Engineering a System. Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary approach encompassing the entire technical effort to evolve and verify an integrated and total life cycle balanced set of system, people, and process solutions that satisfy customer needs. SE is the integrating mechanism across the technical efforts related to the development, manufacturing, verification, deployment, operations, support, disposal of, and user training for systems and their life cycle processes. SE develops technical information to support the program management decision-making process. 7 Technical Management (TM) workforce is 41% or 36,704 employees in 2009 of the total acquisition population and includes systems engineering, developmental test and evaluation, and production, quality and manufacturing. All of the TM workforce would be interested in Level IV training. 10

13 Currently as part of Level III SPRDE-SE/PSE, the course SYS 302 is required. This course is titled Technical Leadership in Systems Engineering has the following catalogue description: Designed for senior DoD acquisition personnel, SYS 302 is focused on the application of technical leadership skills within a typical DoD systems engineering environment. SYS 302 participants are expected to have sufficient background knowledge of the DoD s systems engineering management processes, knowledge of the application of systems engineering to each acquisition phase, and the capability to apply these concepts to complex technical management problems involving critical thinking. As part of the SYS 302 course, participants will lead and participate in an engineering team that analyzes and resolves a variety of technical engineering critical issues. Class exercises are supplemented by lessons on current policy, architectures, and design considerations. The competencies and associated content developed as part of the RT-4 initiative will be a follow on to SYS 302. Tentatively, this course has been given the number and name SYS 351, Executive Leadership for Program Systems Engineers. However, because this may change, the RT-4 effort will be referred to as Technical Leadership Program (TLP) for the purposes of this report. The curriculum to support SYS 351 as a follow-on course for SYS 302, obviously must include the traditional tenets of leadership and management, systems thinking, understanding SOS issues, and thinking and acting holistically. Our research was based upon a literature review, comparisons of existing competency models, and focused group exercises to develop the competency model. 2.2 DEFINITIONS The following definitions are relevant to the research: Competency Framework A set of observable and measurable knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors and other characteristics that an individual needs to perform work roles or occupational function successfully 8. DAU Proficiencies Stated as a thorough competence that is developed over time through training and learning, proficiency levels can be defined in four levels as follows: 8 This is the definition used by the Office of Personnel Management or OPM for other definitions and discussions of competencies see Dubois, 1998; Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, 1999; and Draganidis and Mentzas,

14 Level I: The ability of a systems engineer to adapt and effectively participate in a SE activity that involves the application of one or more competencies (and subcompetencies, if required) as a part of the project. Level II: The ability of a systems engineer to adapt and effectively perform in SE projects that involves the application of one or more competencies (and subcompetencies, if required) as a part of the project. Level III: The ability of a systems engineer to adapt and effectively manage complex SE projects that involves the application of one or more competencies (and subcompetencies, if required) as a part of the project. Level IV: The ability of a systems engineer to adapt and effectively guide or direct/supervise complex SE projects that involves the application of one or more competencies (and sub-competencies, if required) as a part of the project. These levels should not be confused with the DAU certification levels. DAU Level III training must have components of Level III and IV proficiencies. Learning objectives A set of skills that a student should learn and comprehend as a result of instruction. After the instruction, the SE should be able to perform tasks that they could not perform before instruction / course. Each learning objectives should be accompanied by measurable outcomes Learning threads Thematic aspects of the program that will be highlighted and reinforced through the learning content, experienced faculty facilitation and required student deliverables within each of the three lenses: Leadership Influencing, defining direction, driving change, self-awareness, developing others; Ethics Values-based challenges, working across cultures, Professional codes of conduct, Health and Safety, Legal compliance, Social responsibility, Sustainability, Environmental impact; Communications Presentation skills, Writing skills Technical reports, Summaries, Memo s, Briefings; Stakeholder needs awareness; Technical Integrity Ability to ensure alignment of the mission objective(s), concept of operations, architecture, design, and test and integration; Assurance of value added; and Mentoring Opportunities for on the job application and external feedback, Course outcomes that lend themselves to developmental goal setting. Objectives Broad statements that describe the career and professional accomplishments that the program is preparing graduates to achieve (from ABET, 2007). Outcomes Narrower statements that describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation. These relate to the skills, knowledge, and 12

15 behaviors that students acquire in their matriculation through the program (from ABET, 2007). Technical leadership Motivating and guiding a group of professionals to define and deliver constructive change producing new technical performance or systems. 13

16 3 COMPETENCY MODEL DEVELOPMENT 3.1 INITIAL COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT SE competency topics and elements were collected from a wide variety of sources, including NASA 9, Nokia, BAE Systems, the DoD, and the Australian government to develop our initial competency model. These models were discussed in deliverable A0009. From these competency models, possible competencies for SPRDE Level IV were identified Identification and Aggregation of Competencies Appendix A contains a listing of the initial competency topics developed for senior systems engineering technical leaders. Because this competency model had many stakeholders, multiple iterations were required to develop a rational and defensible competency model. An analysis of NASA/Nokia/BAE competencies was conducted to identify those competencies that were common across at least two of the three data sets to prioritize the competency topics and elements. After analyzing the data, it was readily apparent that the NASA set of competencies (or competency model) was the most robust and mature and thus this was used as a baseline. A chief engineers (CEs) forum was held to elicit subject matter expert (SME) responses used to refine, prioritize, address gaps in, and develop the next iteration of the competency model. After this analysis, the competency elements were grouped into ten competency topics. This list was then presented at a technical leader forum held in conjunction with the Conference on Systems Engineering Research (CSER) in March This second round of SME focused on further refining the competency list and categories. The final competency model developed can be found in Appendix B. This competency model provides the baseline for developing the TLP architecture. It should be noted that, in addition to the competency-based discussions, there were also some other SME recommendations as to the ideal characteristics of technical leaders, such as passion, problem-solving ability, and charisma. These characteristics were captured and are being considered for incorporation in the TLP. 9 Compiled by Wiley Larson and titled NASA s Systems Engineering Competencies as part of the Academy of Program/Project and Engineering Leadership for NASA, We will use the term Level IV throughout this report as defined in Table 1.8. We believe that SYS 302 should be focused in developing Level III proficiencies. Whereas, SYS 351 should be mainly focused on developing professionals who oversee SE activities for a program with several systems and/or establishes SE policies at top organizational level. 14

17 3.2 RESEARCH AND RECOMMENDATION ON CLOSING GAPS Initial discussions of the TLP included considerations for how it would be used to improve upon the current DAU SPRDE program (Levels I-III). To help identify where TLP might improve upon SPRDE, a first step was to determine the alignment between the competencies to be covered by the TLP program (Appendix B) and the learning outcomes covered by current SPRDE courses. The competency list was compared to the outcomes lists, and overlaps were identified (see Appendix C). This provides a baseline understanding of the competency levels for the incoming students for TLP. Competencies that are not covered by the current SPRDE courses are considered targets that should be addressed by TLP. It should be noted that competencies with some coverage in current SPRDE courseware would still be covered within the TLP. However, they will be covered either from a different perspective (e.g. with a leadership slant) or to a deeper level. The competency framework and mapping to current SPRDE courses provided the baseline for development of the curriculum architecture. 15

18 4 INITIAL CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES 4.1 ARCHITECTURE In summer 2010, the TLP development team discussed a possible architecture with DAU representatives. This architecture is based on the principles that there are three lenses that can be used to view TLP content, as shown in Figure 1. The lenses open an increasing aperture on a specific area, in this instance systems engineering technical leadership. Each lens covers content related to systems engineering, but at a different level. Figure 1. TLP Topical Architecture For each lens, the TLP development team created a list of applicable competencies. This was done by mapping the competency list (Appendix A) to the objectives and outcomes of each lens. The partitioning of competencies to the different lenses can be seen in Appendix D. Each lens will include a project which will be used to engage the students and evaluate their level of learning. 16

19 In addition to the lenses, the TLP also addresses the more esoteric skills associated with technical leadership. These skills are integrated throughout the lenses and are called learning threads. Learning threads represent thematic aspects of the program that will be highlighted and reinforced through the learning content, experienced faculty facilitation, and required student deliverables within each of the three Program Lenses. There may be differences in the extent to which each thread is relevant to the content and requirements for a given lens. Leadership Influencing, defining direction, driving change, self-awareness, developing others. Ethics Values-based challenges, working across cultures, Professional codes of conduct, Health and Safety, Legal compliance, Social responsibility, Sustainability, Environmental impact. Communications Presentation skills, Writing skills Technical reports, Summaries, Memo s, Briefings; Stakeholder needs awareness. Technical Integrity Ability to ensure alignment of the mission objective(s), concept of operations, architecture, design, and test and integration; Assurance of value added. Mentoring Opportunities for on the job application and external feedback, Course outcomes that lend themselves to developmental goal setting. 4.2 DELIVERY MODES In addition to the content of the lenses, the TLP development team is also considering the possible ways in which this content can be provided to students. These methods, or delivery modes, each have strengths and weaknesses and each is suited to different content types. The delivery modes currently under discussion are: Lecture-based Self-study and Experience-based Simulation Lecture-Based Content Delivery Lectures are, perhaps, one of the most common means of delivering knowledge in an academic setting. Lectures in the TLP program would be focused on imparting the basic tenets and principles of a particular topic. They may be delivered by the course instructor or by guest lecturers. Lectures, though an important part of the course structure, will be a small fraction of the total contact time spent with students. 17

20 4.2.2 Self-Study Content Delivery For some topics, particularly those that are covered within SPRDE levels I-III, students will receive read-ahead materials that they will be expected to review on their own. This self-study will likely be evaluated by written or oral responses. Self-study assignments will prepare students for the contact portion of the course. However, it is possible that some self-study assignments will be incorporated into the overarching course projects Experience-Based Content Delivery A core tenet of the TLP is that it will be based on real-world SE experience, particularly experience within the defense and aerospace realms. The concept is that students will be exposed to historical or current scenarios and will be asked to work through some of the major issues associated with them. Experience-based delivery is a critical component of the TLP and there are 4 basic types that will be used: Anecdote a brief account of a real-world scenario, the actions taken during that scenario, and the lessons learned associated with it. Anecdotes will likely be delivered by guest lecturers and will include time for student interaction through open question-andanswer segments. Vignette A vignette will provide students with a situation. Students will then be asked a series of questions designed to help them think through the technical leadership aspects of the situation. Vignettes may be based on real events or may be simulated, but all will have real-world constraints. Guest facilitators may deliver vignettes. Issue An issue will provide students with a problem scenario and a series of decisions points that will require students to determine methods of correcting the problem(s). These decisions will be carried through the issue, so that students may understand how their decisions affect the outcomes of scenarios. Faculty instructors will facilitate issue delivery. Case Study A case study will be the most formal form of experience-based delivery, with the most data available to students. Case study backgrounds will be delivered as read-ahead materials that students will review. Students will then provide written reports or oral presentations on the lessons learned on the case studies, where different decisions could be made, etc. The faculty instructor will facilitate case studies. An overview of the delivery modes, and how they may be implemented within the TLP, can be found in Figure 2. 18

21 Figure 2. Overview of the Delivery Modes for TLP Simulation-Based Delivery The TLP development team is considering the use of more formal simulations as part of the program. This may be tied with the SERC Experience Accelerator project, which provides a virtual environment for simulations and learning Delivery Mode Recommendations The overarching strategy for delivery modes requires a combination of all of these methods. The course content will focus on experiential learning, with lectures to bookend each student interaction. Case studies will map to the specific aspects of each lens. The current architecture calls for there to be three to four student interactions during the TLP. Of these, there will be no more than four weeks of contact time total, with no more than two weeks of consecutive time. At least three of these interactions will be 5- day sessions based on one of the lenses (systems, B&T, and E&S). The overarching concept for these delivery modes can be found in Figure 3, below. 19

22 Figure 3. Layout for TLP Delivery Modes The overarching concept is that pre-reading will lead to a lecture-based discussion. This will be followed by some sort of experiential learning (as described above) or a simulation exercise. Within each simulation there will be at least one intervention, which will specifically focus on one of the learning threads (leadership, communication, ethics, mentorship, etc.). This series of instruction will feed into a group-based, in-class project. This is the first four days of a week of instruction. The project will be presented to a group of SMEs for feedback on the final day of the week-long intervention. 20

23 5 RECOMMENDED CURRICULUM 5.1 PROGRAM OVERVIEW The Technical Leadership Program (TLP) is a multi-disciplinary, experiential post graduate and professional development curricula that prepares senior design engineers, system engineers, and technologists for Chief Engineer, Technical Director, and Enterprise Technical Executive positions through an interactive course of independent study, simulation, and case study through the three focused lenses: Systems, Business and Team, and Enterprise and Strategy. Using the architecture, lens learning objectives, outcomes, and focus areas were identified. The focus areas were populated with a draft list of topics. Current courseware from the SERC collaborators was compared to the topical outline for each lens to identify areas where materials exist which can be tailored to support the DAU TLP model. The targeted learner group is high potential senior engineering designers and technologists with demonstrated superior domain engineering or technology expertise that have been identified and recommended as advanced technical leadership candidates in their organization or fields of expertise. 5.2 COURSE DESCRIPTION Systems Lens The Systems Lens focuses on the technical product, system, or systems of systems and helps students develop the skills to take on the leadership and influencing challenges associated with the roles of Chief Engineer or Chief Technologist during all life cycles phases of definition, design, development, production, and support in the presence of high ambiguity, rapid change and challenging non-technical constraints. The learning experiences comprising this component of the curriculum will enhance individuals ability to independently lead and assume accountability for systems engineering in any phase of a product or system life cycle. This includes being able to independently strategize and lead innovation efforts; secure and assess customer value propositions; manage customer expectations in a systems design space; and staff, organize, and train engineering and technology teams for any phase in a product or system life cycle. 21

24 This part of the overall leadership development program prepares participants to take on leadership challenges most typically associated with the roles of Chief Engineer or Chief Technologist. Figure 4, below, provides an overview of the systems lens, starting with the objective for this module. From the objective, learning outcomes were developed. These outcomes map to focus areas that provide a way to group topics and content areas for the lens. An initial cut at the number of contact hours and student s independent study hours for the systems lens was also created for planning purposes. Figure 4. Overview of the Systems Lens Using this framework for the systems lens, the TLP development team examined relevant courseware from the SERC collaborators to determine where there is content that can be tailored to provide baseline material for the each focus area. The team dedicated to the systems lens expanded the analysis to include a rough estimate of how much tailoring would be required for materials to meet the needs of the systems lens. This initial analysis can be seen in Figure 5. Figure 5. Mapping of current courseware to the systems lens focus areas. This analysis provides a baseline for content development of the systems lens. 22

25 A third level of analysis was also conducted. This compares the focus areas of the systems lens to the competencies from the framework assigned to the systems lens. Figure 6 below shows the areas where competencies will be covered based on the current topical alignment of the focus areas. The competencies highlighted in pink are those that are not yet covered under the current instantiation of the focus areas. The TLP development team will work on adjusting the courseware to ensure that these competencies are included in the systems lens. Figure 6. Alignment of the focus areas with the competency map for the systems lens. 23

26 As mentioned in Section 4, the initial concept for the structure of the systems lens starts with pre-reading assignments for students. The students will then meet in-person for a week-long (five day) interaction, which consists of a mixture of lecture, simulation, experience-based learning, and group work. This week will be followed by an individual group project. The overview for the architecture can be seen in Figure 7 below. Figure 7. Structure of Student Interactions for In-Class Portion of the Systems Lens Business & Team Lens The business and team (B&T) lens focuses on the business and teaming dynamics of a complete product, system, or systems of systems project and helps students develop the skills to take on the leadership challenges associated with the roles of Director of Engineering or Technical Director for processes and organizations through which a technical system is realized. The learning experiences comprising this part of the curriculum will enhance individuals ability to: independently lead teams to develop technology acquisition 24

27 strategies in support of the organizational business objectives; effectively communicate technology assessments and recommended responses in a value proposition space to marketing, business development, and senior operational executives; possess dexterity and acumen for financial reporting metrics and the relationships of cost-to-enterprise benefit; and lead the design and implementation technology for risk management processes and tools. This part of the overall program prepares participants to take on leadership challenges most typically associated with the roles of Director of Engineering or Technical Director. Figure 8, below, provides an overview of the B&T lens, starting with the objective for this module. From the objective, learning outcomes were developed. These outcomes map to focus areas that provide a way to group topics and content areas for the lens. An initial cut at the number of contact hours and student s independent study hours for the B&T lens was also created for planning purposes. Figure 8. Overview of the Business & Team (B&T) Lens Using this framework for the B&T lens, the TLP development team examined relevant courseware from the SERC collaborators to determine where there is content that can be tailored to provide baseline material for each focus area. This initial analysis can be seen in Figure 9. Figure 9. Mapping of current courseware to the B&T lens focus areas. 25

28 A third level of analysis was also conducted. This compares the focus areas of the systems lens to the competencies from the framework assigned to the systems lens. Figure 10 below shows the areas where competencies will be covered based on the current topical alignment of the focus areas. Figure 10. Alignment of the focus areas with the competency map for the B&T lens Enterprise & Strategy Lens The Enterprise and Strategy Lens focuses on the entire enterprise and helps students develop the skills to take on the challenges associated with executive leadership roles of Chief Technology Officer, Deputy Director of Engineering or Technology, or Vice 26

29 President of Engineering to drive sustainable near and long term enterprise growth, optimize stakeholder and shareholder value, ensure enterprise competitiveness in the market place, and implement change initiatives through engineering and technology strategic planning. This includes exploring how to create, select and manage multiple projects over time to achieve business objectives and generate profitable growth over the long term. The learning experiences comprising this part of the curriculum will enhance individuals ability to: synthesize engineering and technology needs and investment strategies, objectives, and plans to support enterprise growth, adaptation or change objectives; identify and assess the maturity and application of emerging technologies to current and potential new products and systems; identify needs and develop strategies and objectives for enterprise engineering and technology professional development; effectively communicate enterprise engineering and technology strategies to the broad set of enterprise stakeholders, customers, and prospective enterprise partners; and act as the stakeholder and owner of strategically aligned enterprise engineering and technology human capital recruiting, retention, leadership development, and mentoring plans. This part of the overall program prepares participants to take on leadership challenges most typically associated with senior executive positions in government and industry including Chief Technology Officer, Deputy Director of Engineering or Technology, or Vice President of Engineering or Technology. Figure 11, below, provides an overview of the B&T lens, starting with the objective for this module. From the objective, learning outcomes were developed. These outcomes map to focus areas that provide a way to group topics and content areas for the lens. An initial cut at the number of contact hours and student s independent study hours for the B&T lens was also created for planning purposes. Figure 11. Overview of the Enterprise and Strategy (E&S) Lens Using this framework for the B&T lens, the TLP development team examined relevant courseware from the SERC collaborators to determine where there is content that can be 27

30 tailored to provide baseline material for each focus area. This initial analysis can be seen in Figure 12. Figure 12. Mapping of current courseware to the E&S lens focus areas. A third level of analysis was also conducted. This compares the focus areas of the systems lens to the competencies from the framework assigned to the systems lens. Figure 13 below shows the areas where competencies will be covered based on the current topical alignment of the focus areas. Figure 13. Alignment of the focus areas with the competency map for the B&T lens. 28

31 6 FUTURE WORK 6.1 DEVELOPMENT PLAN This report provides the findings from the base year of the TLP development effort. The development team is recommending a two-year continuation to complete courseware for the program. This two-year timeline will include drafting of initial content, delivery of two pilots, refinement of the materials, and final delivery to DAU for instruction. Additional details on the schedule can be found below Option Year 1 (12/16/10 12/15/11) The TLP development team will research, synthesize, and validate curriculum content and structure for a preliminary systems lens and B&T lens curriculum and initiate research, synthesis, and validation of the B&T lens curriculum to include assessments of the systems and B&T lens alignment with previously developed SE leadership skills and competencies. The team will conduct two systems lens pilots and one B&T lens pilot at DAU, Ft Belvoir, VA and will initiate research and synthesis of the E&S lens. Researchers will document any changes to SE leadership skills, competencies and assessment methodologies needed to support and/or extend the DAU Level III Systems SPRDE-SE certificate offered by DAU. The team will submit both interim and final reports documenting progress in curriculum research and synthesis. It will also include systems, B&T, and E&S lens alignments with previously developed SE leadership skills and competencies. The report will provide the results from pilots conducted and explain curriculum refinements based on these pilots. Researchers will deliver a systems lens outline of study, defined as a systems lens syllabus with associated course materials to the DAU. It will also include recommended student experiential or immersion experiences that serve to support and accelerate SE technical leader learning Option Year 2 (12/16/11 12/15/12) The TLP development team will research, synthesize, and validate curriculum content and structure for the revised B&T lens curriculum will draft and finalize content for the E&S lens. The team will initiate research, synthesis, and validation of the B&T and E&S lenses to include assessments of the systems and B&T lens alignment with previously developed SE leadership skills and competencies. The team will conduct two systems 29

32 lens pilots and one B&T lens pilot at DAU, Ft Belvoir, VA and will initiate research and synthesis of the E&S lens. Researchers will document any changes to SE leadership skills, competencies and assessment methodologies needed to support and/or extend the DAU Level III Systems SPRDE-SE certificate offered by DAU. The team will submit both interim and final reports documenting progress in curriculum research and synthesis. It will also include B&T, and E&S lens alignments with previously developed SE leadership skills and competencies. The report will provide the results from pilots conducted and explain curriculum refinements based on these pilots. Researchers will deliver both the B&T and E&S lens outlines of study, defined as lens syllabi, with associated course materials, to the DAU. It will also include recommended student experiential or immersion experiences that serve to support and accelerate SE technical leader learning At the end of options year 2, all materials required to instruct and deliver the DAU TLP will be handed off from the team to DAU faculty. 6.2 SCHEDULE The specific planning schedule for the tasks listed above can be found in Figure 14, below. 30

33 Figure 14. Schedule for development, finalization, and delivery of TLP content. 31

34 APPENDICES APPENDIX A. INITIAL COMPETENCY LIST Competency Title Level I (Participate) Level II (Apply) Level III (Manage) Level IV (Guide) 1.0 Concepts and Architecture Needs or Opportunity Management 12 Awareness of the fundamentals of mission needs and system environments and applying this understanding to a viable and complete system architecture while supporting a Level II IV engineer as a member of the project team. The ability to identify customer needs and articulate them to a Level II-IV engineer. Ensure that processes are followed to satisfy customer requirements. Performing SE related activities for a simple project based on the understanding of the fundamentals of mission needs and system environments and applying this understanding to viable and complete system architecture. The ability to organize, index and integrate information from various sources to identify customer needs. Performs as a systems engineer for a complex project based on the understanding of the fundamentals of mission needs and system environments and applying this understanding to viable and complete system architecture. The ability to organize, index and integrate information from various sources to identify customer needs. Articulate processes between teams and between products/projects based upon customer needs. Directs SE activities for a program with several systems and / or establishes SE policies at top organizational level based on the understanding of the fundamentals of mission needs and system environments and applying this understanding to a viable and complete system architecture. Ascertain the different levels of investment and even different sets of people involved in the process to support customer needs management. 11 Squires, Alice, Wiley Larson, Brian Sauser, Mapping space-based systems engineering curriculum to NASA industry developed competencies for improved organizational performance, Systems Engineering, Article available online on 17 th June,

35 1.2 System Environments 1 Participate and gain awareness of understanding of the system environment and the inherent constraints and the ability to establish design guidance for the expected environments. 1.3 Trade Studies 1 Understanding the value of performing trade studies as a part of the necessary capabilities for comparing and contrasting the identified viable level technical solutions. This capability includes creating, validating, operating and correlating (with operational model) the system data. The end product of this capability is the identification and selection of a well balanced (cost, schedule, technical, quality) systems level solutions. Applying the understanding of systems environment and the inherent constraints and the ability to establish design guidance for the expected environments to perform SE activities using various SE tools and techniques. Applying trade studies as a part of the necessary capabilities for comparing and contrasting the identified viable level SE solutions. This capability includes creating, validating, operating and correlating (with operational model) the system data. The end product of this capability is the identification and selection of a well-balanced (cost, schedule, technical, quality) systems level solutions. Managing SE projects that utilizes the understanding of system environment and the inherent constraints and the ability to establish design guidance for the expected environments. Managing a set of SE projects that requires the application of trade studies in order to arrive at the most viable technical and/ or system level solution. This capability includes creating, validating, operating and correlating (with operational model) the system data. The end product of this capability is the identification and selection of a well balanced (cost, schedule, technical, quality) systems level solutions. Directing SE activities / projects that incorporates the understanding of system environment and the inherent constraints and the ability to establish design guidance for the expected environments. Directing SE activities / projects that involve the use of trade studies to as a part of the identification and selection process of a well balanced systems level solution. This capability includes creating, validating, operating and correlating (with operational model) the system data. 12 Modified from Oracle at accessed August 12,